Clu Clu
by Myst Knight
Summary: Part of the Starcrossed Popstar series. A mishap in fishing leads to a meeting between Kirby and the mysterious Princess Bubbles (Clu Clu Land). Can Kirby adapt to her strange ways under the waves? Kirby/Bubbles


**Clu Clu**

 **By Myst Knight**

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 _Disclaimer: Kirby's Dream Land is owned by Nintendo and HAL Laboratories. Clu Clu Land is owned by Nintendo. I write this without consent, and am making no money off of it._

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Character Expose: Bubbles

Princess Bubbles is the main character of Clu Clu Land, a red fish with curiously human-like hands. Using her underwater gymnastics ability and her sonic shock wave, she swings about poles in the underwater Clu Clu Land, trying to regain the gold bars stolen by the villainous Unira.

* * *

It was just his luck that such a big adventure should happen on his day off.

Kirby has pulled out the old fishing rod, and was settling down on the shores of Float Islands to catch a Blipper or two. His feet dabbled about in the soft surf as he rubbed his tummy, eager for some fresh seafood, with maybe a pinch of spice. So far, today has been slim pickings, his only prior catch being a rather "squishy" squid that insisted on clinging to his face. He had thrown that one back, the tough, springy meat not worth the effort of tussling with it.

Other than that inconvenience, it had been a lazy afternoon. The bubbly clouds meandered across the sky, causing sunlight and shadow to drift about Kirby's spot on the beach. The young puffball let out a short sigh as a shining sunbeam beat down upon his face, causing him to squint. He was not an impatient Dreamlander, but it was getting time to eat soon, and the lethargic weather was sapping his resolve fast.

Suddenly, an electric spasm shot through the wire of his fishing rod, nearly yanking the object out of his hands. At once awake and alert, Kirby set about fighting his ocean opponent, yanking on the rod with a steady motion. Although not too heavy, the current catch on the line was a fierce fighter, and he had to bend the rod almost to the breaking point in order to keep it from making off with the bait. But if there was anything Kirby was good at, it was grabbing a free meal, and soon he was reeling the rambunctious fish out of the deep and towards the small island.

With a popping splash, a large, red bubble fish was heaved out of the water, falling straight into Kirby's fishing basket. The fish was about the size of Kirby himself, with a distinctive bucktoothed mouth, and mammalian arms in place of fins. Most noteworthy, however, was the wit and wile emanating from its black eyes, which were now focused in fury at its captor. "Hey, what'd ya do that fer?" it hollered out, waving its hands haphazardly. "I thought you were offerin' me a snack!"

Kirby blinked at the intelligent speech coming from the creature, but offered up a wave nonetheless. "Hi, I'm Kirby!" he said, smiling down at his latest catch. "What's your name?"

"It's not 'dinner', I'll tell ya that!" the fish griped, struggling to put its hands on the ground from its position within the basket. Utilizing superior upper arm strength, it pushed against the wet compacted sand, forcing its body up and out of the basket. With a show of wounded dignity, the fish straightened up on small feet that were much the same as Kirby's. "This is brutish treatment for a lady such as myself!" she finished up, placing her hands on non-existent hips.

"Oh!" Kirby's small pupils shone with surprise. "You're a girl?"

"Doncha know anythin'!" she said, thrusting her face in front of his and showing off the shine on her front tooth. "Of course I am!"

"That's good." Kirby nodded cheerily. "You're more pretty than tasty, anyway."

The girl fish gaped at Kirby, rearing back from him in a sweat. Had it not been for the red skin, it would've been clear that she was blushing rather hotly.

As the fish's discomfort mounted, however, it was also clear that Kirby's compliment was not the only reason for her distress. "G-Glurp!" she gurgled, falling backwards and thrashing about on the sands.

"Are you hungry, too?" Kirby asked her, noting her behavior as similar to his hunger pains.

"Water!" she gasped, grabbing at his flubby exterior. "I need WATER!"

Kirby said nothing, but gathered up the young fish in his arms and steadily paced toward the ocean. "What's you name?" he asked again as he waded into the wavy waters.

"B-Bubbles!" she sputtered out, drips and drops flying from her throat. "Hurry!"

Once the water had gotten deep enough, Kirby dumped the fish unceremoniously back into the frothy ocean. Bubbles released some of her namesake as her gills took in the oxygen rich ocean, and her face regained its earlier rich sheen. Poking her head up from the water, she gave Kirby a bucktoothed smile, her previous ire completely forgotten. "Thanks a bunch!" she said. "Where didja say this was, anyway?"

"We're on Float Islands!" he told her, motioning to the small collection of islands that made up the aforementioned area. "It's the best spot for fishing!"

"Oh criminy!" Bubbles slapped herself on the noggin. "I'm way off course! I was tryin' to reach Clu Clu Land before nightfall, and I thought I could take a short cut around the pirate ship."

"You mean the one in Orange Ocean?" Kirby corrected her. "That's west from here."

"Doink!" Bubbles berated herself, stink out her tongue. "That's where I got turned around! Hey, thanks a bunch!" She reached out for a handshake, and Kirby took it with a wide smile.

He stopped for a moment, blinking. Bubbles hadn't released his hand yet, and was squeezing it rather firmly. "Ya know," she began, her eyes taking on a lovely luster. "I bet Daddy would like to meet a kindly gent such as yourself."

"Poyo?" Kirby tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Doncha know?" She winked at him. "I'm princess of the whole kingdom of Clu Clu Land! We've been fighin the Unira for twenty-nine years now! I'm responsible for helpin' my dad regain all our precious gold from those sticky suckers! We're in a lot of trouble, Kirby!"

At the call of adventure, Kirby stood up straight in the sand. "Than I'm your guy!" he cried, pounding his chest with macho aplomb.

"Would ja?" Bubbles clasped his hand within both of hers. "You're too sweet!"

"Heh heh!" Kirby laughed nervously, placing his free hand on the back of his head.

A brief second later, Bubbles' eyes flashed with realization. "Oooh, we gotta split!" she said, and began to drag him towards the sea. "Come along now, Kirby!"

"P-Poyo!" he gasped as Bubbles kicked up a wave of surf, taking Kirby with her on a new, fantastic voyage under the ocean waves.

* * *

"Kuru Kuru Kuru!" Bubbles hollered as she whirled about on a pole jutting out from the darkness, creating a spiral out of the ocean current. She let go of the pole, and her sustained centrifugal force propelled her toward the far wall while she collected as many gold bars as she could find. "Let's keep goin'!" she squealed, jetting off towards the next pole to start spinning once again.

"Wait, Bubbles!" Kirby scrambled after her, swimming along the bottom of the ocean as fast as his stubby arms could carry him. "I can't swim like you!"

The two had made their way into a colorful labyrinth of fluorescent green walls and jutting poles, sifting through the inky darkness to uncover the gold bars hidden within. All around them were the venomous Unira: toxic sea urchins that maneuvered about the maze trying to snag Bubbles and Kirby. Bubbles, for her part, was always one step ahead of the Unira, using the poles to spin around the labyrinth like a laboratory rat. It was Kirby that was lagging behind, wobbling forth to the best of his ability, and soon finding himself surrounded by Unira.

"W-Wha!" Kirby cried, as he narrowly avoided being punctured by an urchin's sinister spike. "That's spiky!"

Bubbles stopped for a moment, wrapping her hand securely around a pole. "C'mon, Kirby!" she berated him, scowling from across the maze. "Cancha keep up?"

But further criticism was unnecessary, ad Kirby has just gotten his second wind. Using his patented underwater inhaling learned during the Ripple Star Crystal incident, he sucked up each of the three Unira that had surrounded him, earning himself a powerful Needle ability with the help of his inborn copying power. Using his new-found skill, he transfigured himself into a long, pointed spire much like a jouster's lance. "Bubbles, take this!" he cried, hoping his voice would carry through the thick ocean.

Bubbles stared at him for a moment, but after seeing Kirby's smile, quickly got the message. Making her way over to the transformed Kirby with a series of twists and turns, she grabbed hold of the makeshift lance and held it in front of her like a battering ram. With a kick of her legs, she pushed herself off the nearest wall, straight towards a conga line of Unira. Soon, she was effortlessly plowing through the beasties, covering massive amounts of ground on a fast track to mayhem.

"Yee-hooooo!" Bubbles squealed, running through enough Unira to make a shish kebab snack. "This is much easier than shockin' them!"

"Yup!" Kirby agreed from his position within her grip.

With a shake of her "spear", she flung the skewered enemies off into the depths of the ocean. Letting go of the weapon, Bubbles set about appraising her stashe while the Dreamland puffball regained his original form. "Let's have a look-see," she said, throwing a glance beside her as Kirby waded to her side. "Two pineapples, one banana, an alarm clock...and money!" She grinned toothily as she tossed a fat sack of cash into the pile.

"What's this flag do?" Kirby asked, reaching over to the aforementioned object, which had somehow gotten lost amongst all the collectibles.

"Oh, that's a 1-UP," she explained, shrugging it off as she admired the clock's 8-bit craftsmanship. "I don't need it with yer help."

"Wait, lemme see!" Kirby suddenly picked up the flag and began folding it within his hands. Before Bubbles could stop him, he was already performing some quick origami work, detaching the stick from the cloth and throwing it off to the side. There!" he said, admiring his artistic aspiration. Bubbles goggled at Kirby's expertise; the flag had now been transformed into a beautiful, white bow, fit for the finest aristocrat.

"Wow, Kirby, that's really special stuff!" Bubbles said, smiling down at the creation.

Kirby grinned, as he picked up the bow and moved toward her. Bubbles gasped as Kirby intruded within her personal...er. bubble, and pressed his hands upon her temples. However, Kirby's touch was light, and she soon relaxed, letting Kirby do whatever he was going to do. Before she knew it, Kirby had affixed the white bow to her head, which now stood in sharp contrast with the red hue of her skin.

"Now you're even prettier!" Kirby cheered, nodding in affirmation. "Just like Chuchu!"

Bubbles hadn't the slightest clue who this "Chuchu" was, but the look in Kirby's eyes said it all. She turned away from Kirby, flushed from this sudden show of affection. She could feel the bow's presence on her head, augmenting her sensibilities in a manner befitting that of a princess. Kirby had plucked her from the water like a fisherman, but maybe she was the one with a catch on her hands...

* * *

The flaming sunset suited the tropical setting of Orange Ocean quite nicely, covering its sweet-tooth waters with a sparkling, soda-pop veneer. Fallen coconuts lined the beach alongside Kirby and Bubbles, who were just about to part ways for the evening. Off in the distance, the old pirate ship could be seen glowing like gold, a vessel as romantic as it was seaworthy. It was enough to bring a hint of emotion even to Kirby, standing on the beach as Bubbles looked up at him from her place at the edge of the water.

"Thanks fer helpin' me nab that gold." she said, placing her arms behind her back in a shy gesture. "It'd have been hard without yer help."

"Sure!" Kirby nodded, cradling the one gold bar Bubbles had let him keep.

The girl fish beseeched him with bashful eyes, and she fidgeted with the white bow in her head. "Will ya stay in Clu Clu land with me?" Bubbles asked, shuffling around in the water. "My Daddy's pretty nice, and we could give ya a room near the kitchen."

Though the offer of free food made Kirby's mouth water, he shook his head nonetheless. "I gotta stay here in Dreamland so King Dedede doesn't act up," he told her. "He's a mischievous fellow!"

Bubbles smiled wistfully, and swam closer to grasp Kirby's hand. "You come visit now, y'hear?" she said. "I wanna keep my Dreamland pal close."

"You bet!" Kirby said.

Bubbles smiled back at him, cradling her hand within hers. Then, she darted forward and gave Kirby a quick peck on the lips, standing on her foes within the shallow surf. Kirby's eyes grew wide as dinner plates at he stared at the young fish, who had retreated back into the water with a loopy smile on her face. "Gee, you taste like octopus, Kirby!" she stated, her eyes twinkling like ocean pearls.

Then, with a toss of seaspray, she jumped back into the water. "See ya later!" Bubbles cried out behind her as she quickly made off into the distance, transforming into nothing more than a little red blip.

Kirby stared off after her with a look of confusion on his face. He brought his hand to his mouth, feeling the gentle hint of ocean salt upon his lips. Slowly, a smile emboldened itself upon his features, and he gazed towards the undersea world his new friend was now returning to. "That was the best time fishing I had," he said to himself. "I wonder what'll happen next time?"

* * *

'Fin


End file.
